Born fifty years ago, hip-hop has acquired its letters of nobility with legendary titles that will forever remain in the pantheon of the best pieces of music of all time.
Public Enemy, “Fight the Power” (1989)
The most famous song of the Public Enemy collective – composed in particular of Chuck D, Flavor Fav, and other Professor Griff – the very political “Fight The Power”, carried a message of black pride. It was created at the request of director Spike Lee, who was looking for a musical theme for his film “Do the Right Thing”. “I wanted it to be provocative, I wanted it to be angry, I wanted it to be very rhythmic. I immediately thought of Public Enemy”, had declared the director for Time. A kind of imperishable street anthem whose lyrics particularly scratched some of the figures of America like Elvis Presley and John Wayne, it then knew a different version on the studio album “Fear of a Black Planet” by Public Enemy , in 1990.
Notorious BIG, “Juicy” (1994)
On a sample of “Juicy Fruit” by Mtume, this hit by Notorious BIG, a rap figure murdered on March 9, 1997 in Los Angeles, is the deliberately boastful portrait of a young African-American who has gone from poverty to wealth. thanks to hip hop. Notorious BIG mentioned rap pioneers who had influenced him, including Marley Marl and Mr. Magic. The track consists of Biggie’s rise to power, detailing his impoverished childhood and his lifelong dream of succeeding in the music industry as a rapper. “This album is dedicated / To all the teachers who told me that I would never achieve anything”, he begins, taking revenge on all those who did not believe in his talent. Note that there is controversy regarding the production of the track, with producer Pete Rock claiming that P. Diddy (who also signed the clip) stole his idea for the original beat after hearing it during a visit.
Geto Boys, “Mind Playing Tricks on Me” (1991)
“Mind Playing Tricks on Me” is a song by Geto Boys, featured on their 1991 album “We Can’t Be Stopped.” The lyrics describe the anguish and weariness of a gangster between trauma, loneliness, paranïoa and suicidal desires. “Mind Playing Tricks on Me” has been sampled by many artists. In a 2012 interview with Complex Magazine, rapper Kid Cudi cited “Mind Playing Tricks on Me” as his “world’s favorite song.”
Sugarhill Gang, “Rapper’s Delight” (1979)
“I said-a hip, hop, the hippie, the hippie / To the hip hip hop-a you don’t stop the rock”… Long before becoming the soundtrack of Evian pubs or more recently of the perfume 1 million de Paco Rabanne, this cult hit is considered the first rap title to have achieved international fame. Recorded for a handful of dollars at a time when hip-hop music was played only live at parties, the track uses the instrumentation of Chic’s title track “Good Times.”
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, “The Message” (1982)
“The Message” was one of the first hit hip-hop songs with lyrics rooted in the social reality of the ghetto. His lyrics describe in particular the life of misery of a child born with no other perspective than a disastrous fate as a criminal.
In 2002, “The Message” was one of fifty recordings chosen by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry, the first in the hip hop genre to receive this honor.